“The chemicals were a concern to us as was the amount of time and labor required to complete the cleaning, stripping and waxing process,“ said Stratigos. “Rooms were tied up for long periods of time; and, try as we might, we could never remove the wax buildup that splashed on the baseboards and gave the floors a sloppy appearance.”

So, when the patient rooms in the 216-bed hospital were scheduled for renovation, Stratigos searched for an easy-to-maintain floor covering that could be cleaned without harsh chemicals and would not require stripping and waxing. Her search ended with nora® rubber flooring. nora® products are available in a broad range of colors and patterns that blended nicely with the hospital’s interior design scheme and addressed the maintenance issues that plagued Stratigos.

“nora cleanguard®," a proprietary process used during manufacturing, creates a dense, non-porous, dirt-repellent surface for all nora® products. “Stain resistance is important in patient care areas, and with this rubber flooring, we have it, even with all the betadines we use,“ said Stratigos. “And, the slip resistance goes up with this product, meaning floors are less slippery even when they are wet.”

Stratigos continued, “Since installing the nora® flooring, we’ve also noticed that it’s much easier to roll heavy equipment across the floors, and it appears that our employees have registered fewer complaints of lower back pain. We think this is the result of the cushioning the rubber flooring offers staff members, who are on their feet most of their workday.”

Renovations to the 40-year-old facility began in 2000, with the installation of nora® rubber flooring in patient rooms and rest rooms. Since then, close to 100,000 square feet of noraplan® effect and noraplan® stone have been installed in play areas, rest rooms, laboratories, common areas, corridors and stairwells. Recently completed renovations to the emergency center and short stay unit also include nora® rubber flooring products.